Theatre Royal, Brighton – until Saturday 26 November 2022
Reviewed by Sue Bradley
4****
The Lavender Hill Mob is one of the most well-loved of the Ealing Comedy movies and I was intrigued to see how this classic comedy Crime Caper, originally released by Ealing in 1951, could be adapted for the stage, as it was mainly filmed in post-war London. Could they pull it off? I’m happy to say that they do.
The story opens up at a party in a Rio de Janeiro night-club on a New Years Eve in the early fifties. Our hero, Henry Holland, played by Miles Jupp (Radio 4’s News Quiz) is handing out money to all and sundry, as if it were his last night of freedom. Enter the enigmatic Farrow (Guy Burgess), who is thought to be a film director by the rest of the guests. They all insist on telling Farrow their friend Holland’s story, believing it would make a great film…..
So far, so good; a rather stylised costume drama. But here is where the play really begins. We can forget almost completely about who the characters are in the nightclub – instead, we remember the parts they all assume to tell us the story of a mild-mannered bank clerk who hatches a plan to steal a million pounds worth of Gold Bullion from the Bank Of England and transport it out of England in a novel manner.
This is very much an ensemble piece – all the actors take on multiple roles with a glee that is akin to a childrens’ dressing-up party. There is no hint of irony here – they just look like they are having a whale of a time as they don different hats or clothing and mime driving with metal trays for steering wheels.
Miles Jupp, with his trademark self-apologetic delivery is well cast as the mild-mannered Holland, with able support from Justin Edwards as his principle accomplice Pendlebury. Tessa Churchard and Victoria Blunt also seem to be having great fun as the two professional crooks who join in the scheme. Tim Sutton keeps us entertained with parlour magic tricks and the odd spot at the piano, whilst John Dougall and Aamira Challenger complete the set with an almost bewildering number of roles.
There is an unfussy set with simple but effective lighting, and a refreshing lack of special effects, as often objects such as doors are mimed by the cast rather than actually being there, and the sound effects are largely produced by the cast rather than played in, which is charming and in the spirit of the story.
It is not a challenging evening, but more like relaxing in front of an open fire enjoying your favourite tipple, and great fun.
Steel Magnolias, the hilarious and heart-warming play based on a true story, which enjoyed huge global success in the hit 1989 film adaptation starring Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts, is embarking on an extensive UK and Ireland tour in 2023.
The star-studded ensemble cast will feature Laura Main (best known as Sister Bernadette in BBC One’s Call the Midwife), Diana Vickers (The X Factor star who has gone on to lead roles in many theatre productions including Dial M For Murder and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice) and Lucy Speed (known for her television roles on EastEnders and The Bill, and as a new cast member on BBC Radio 4’s The Archers).
Brought beautifully to life on stage from Robert Harding’s original script, the show will begin its tour on 19 January at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre, travelling to over 20 venues and concluding on 22 July at the Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton.
Completing the cast are Caroline Harker (A Touch of Frost) and Elizabeth Ayodele (Playboy of the West Indies).
Steel Magnolias, which was first performed off-Broadway in 1987, is the story of six women who come together in a small-town beauty salon in the American South and prove that female friendship conquers all. Faced with the highs and lows of love and life, and amongst the chaos of work, marriage and children, they unite to gossip, unwind and set the world to rights.
This iconic comedy is the perfect ticket for every generation and proves that one hair appointment might just change your life.
‘STEEL MAGNOLIAS’ UK TOUR 2023
19 – 21 January Churchill Theatre, Bromley
24 – 28 January Richmond Theatre
31 January – 4 February Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
7 – 11 February Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford
14 – 18 February Theatre Royal, Bath
21 – 25 February The Lowry, Salford
28 February – 4 March Theatre Royal, Brighton
7 – 11 March Palace Theatre, Southend
21 – 25 March Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
28 March – 1 April Wycombe Swan Theatre, High Wycombe
4 – 8 April Curve Theatre, Leicester
11 – 15 April Theatre Royal, Nottingham
18 – 22 April New Theatre, Cardiff
25 – 29 April Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
2 – 6 May Malvern Theatre
9 – 13 May Northcott Theatre, Exeter
16 – 20 May Milton Keynes Theatre
23 – 27 May Everyman Playhouse, Liverpool
30 May – 3 June Theatre Royal Glasgow
6 – 10 June The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin
13 – 17 June New Theatre, Hull
20 – 24 June Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
4 – 8 July Orchard Theatre, Dartford
11 – 15 July Grand Theatre, Leeds
18 – 22 July Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton
Lucy Speed and Diane Vickers perform until 1 April Laura Main performs until 22 April
Blackpool Winter Gardens – until Saturday 26 November 2022
Reviewed by Debra Skelton
5*****
Strictly Ballroom The Musical has waltzed its way into Blackpool and what a show it is.
I have to say that the award-winning worldwide film directed by Baz Luhrmann that this show is based on is a huge favourite of mine so I was really looking forward to seeing how this production lived upto it and I can honestly say that it did.
Kevin Clifton is well known to me for Strictly Come Dancing but I never knew that he could sing and it was such a welcome surprise to see that he could not only dance beautifully but has such a lovely voice too.
The whole cast in the show were amazing, with their dancing, singing and a touch of humour here and there to make this such a warm and entertaining show.
This musical follows Scott Hastings (Kevin Clifton) who from the age of six has been fixated on one goal and that is to be become the “Pan Pacific Grand Prix Amateur Five Dance Latin American Champion”.
Even though his mother Shirley (Nikki Belsher), teacher Les Kendall (Quinn Patrick) and his partner Liz (Agnes Pure) all confident that this will be the year, somehow Scott is still not entirely satisfied with what he has prepared.
Scott feels dissatisfied with having to dance in the way ordained by the all-powerful Australian Dance Federation under President Barry Fife (Gary Davis) and his resistance starts to push through at the Southern Districts Waratah Championships where Scott breaks the rules by dancing his own steps.
The repercussion of breaking tradition has a huge impact with Liz breaking their partnership and everyone condemning Scott for his recklessness except his father Doug (Mark Sangster) who just seems to potter around in his own world.
With only three weeks until the Pan Pacific, Scott is still without a partner and left wondering what to do next until Fran (Maisie Smith) a young, overlooked beginner in the Kendall studio who just might have ideas of how Scott can achieve his true dream.
So does Scott achieve his ambition, only a trip to see this wonderful show will answer that question.
The soundtrack that has been provided includes such songs as Love is in the Air, Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps and Time After Time and all new music written by internationally acclaimed artists including Sia, David Foster and Eddie Perfect.
This production would not be a success if I did not point out the creative set, lighting, sound, dazzling costumes, and superb choreography from the much-loved judge from Strictly Come Dancing, Craig Revel Horwood
Having either watched or read most of Shakespeare’s plays over the last twenty years, I’m beginning to think that the Bard had something against the postal service, judging from the multitude of deaths that seem to be caused by a plethora of delayed letters, lying tricksy letters, mis-delivered letters for the wrong person and letters that aren’t read in time.
It’s the latter that affects the sabotaging of the State in Julius Caesar, one of Shakespeare’s Roman plays, and arguably the strongest of the set, but you still can’t escape the feeling that a lot of murder, miscommunication and misunderstanding might have been avoided if the Elizabethans had invented tracking numbers and next day delivery.
Plot-wise – the tale is a well-known one, Julius Caesar, ruler of Rome, returns to power triumphant and seemingly popular, however under the surface a collection of his trusted senators are plotting his downfall, envious of his position and status, and it’s not long before his assassination and civil war breaks out across the city, with the conspirators fighting for their lives and cause, as time slowly runs down and they’re forced to face the inevitably brutal consequences of their regicidal machinations.
Julius Caesar is one of those Shakespeare plays, like Cymbeline, where the title character of the play isn’t really the main role – in this case the honour falls in fact to Brutus – one of the leaders of the insurrection and possibly the most reasonable and slowest to betray his king. It is through Brutus’s perspective that most of the tragedy operates as what we’re witnessing is really a tale of two halves – first the fall of one great man due to the hubris of his belief no-one will betray him, and then the secondary fall of the man that did the betraying itself. In the end, Rome is in tatters and smoking ruins, and it is presumably left to Antony to rebuild and heal the empire – even though the shadow of Cleopatra looms ominously in his future, but that is a tale told in another play, for another time.
Director Matt Strachan and his co-adaptor Micha Mirto have gone for a modernisation of the original setting, swapping the togas and laurels for the suited and scarved suaveness of a 1970s Italy. According to the director’s notes in the programme, he got suitably enthused upon discovering that the tale of Julius Caesar bore a striking resemblance to the tales of Luciano Lama and Aldo Moro – communist party leaders and trade unionists for the P.C.I., but in reality the words spoken are Shakespeare’s, and the setting doesn’t really add too much to the telling as it doesn’t really get incorporated into the piece other than a slightly ponderous added introduction to set the scene in a similar way to a cinematic title card or voice-over in a film trailer. (Read in a suitably low raspy voice, ahem, “In a world where directors are still trying to make Shakespeare relevant by adding guns, there stands one hero….” etc.
More obvious revisions to the original take the form of cutting the characters down in scale and number, amalgamating several characters into one – presumably with the purpose of beefing up the one-note original parts of the two main wives, Portia and Calphurnia, and a judicious amount of cutting to the second half of the play so that Julius Caesar now dies in the second half – again, presumably to give the actor more to do. There is also some gender swapping going on as Brutus and Cassius are now female roles, making Brutus and Portia presumably a lesbian married couple. Whilst not really an issue for me personally, you do run into some issues with the decision to gender swap whilst setting it in a defined moment of history – as you seem to have a lesbian couple of high political renown and status calling each other wife and being publicly known as a couple, whilst Italy didn’t recognise same-sex marriage until 2016. Also modernising the piece brings problems with the choices then in terms of combat. In the war, everyone’s running around with guns and pieces of wood (I know which I’d prefer) but the most famous assassination in it is done with daggers, as per the original. This has always confused me in modern productions when they use daggers in a time of guns, made worse when the actors continually bang these pistols about on the floor, revealing they are plastic toys. Similar to the “actors pretending their coffee cup isn’t empty” bugbear in television shows, this falls down into a “let’s pretend what we’re holding is really heavy and made of metal” rehearsal workshop. But perhaps I’m not meant to look too deeply, which is fine, but it’s that level of adherence and pride about finding a similar period in Italian history where a similar event occurred, but failing to fully commit to the transposition, therefore leaving the production in a state of limbo between the two. I could go on and on, they’re Italian but Brutus is welsh and Casca is from Newcastle, they continually talk about blood on their hands but the staging of the combat is hollowly bloodless, but ultimately my takeaway was that the director wanted to make an interesting play about a 1970 civil war involving 25 actors, and got given Julius Caesar with a cast of 7.
Acting wise, the show is pretty strong as a whole, Malcolm Jeffries does bring a nice sense of noble ego and humour to Julius Caesar, and the scenes that have him in really come alive in terms of scale and size – he’s very watchable and his death is a tense and tragic series of events where you hurt for him. It’s a little unfortunate that the costume designer did a quite messy job with the bottom of his suit trousers, but hey ho, perhaps Caesar didn’t have time to get a suit that fit him when he was rushing to the Senate to get stabbed. Eloise Westwood, as Portia, has a fantastic grasp on Shakespearean text, and every line she has comes across clearly and confidently – no mean feat in a Shakespeare show where the language is so archaic and complicated. She fills her expanded role with a cornucopia of pathos and passion, and it’s a joy to watch. Charlotte Whitaker is all hands-in-pockets and shrugs and smirks as Cassius – it’s an understated performance that swaggers and seethes with stylish charm, but I personally felt I never quite saw her get properly going – there is an argument later on between Brutus and Cassius that’s meant to completely destroy their friendship, and I felt Whitaker’s performance here lacked fire and a clear sense of the stakes. Jane Withers glides with grace across the stage as Calphurnia, and her resolution and anxiety to save her husband from her ominous bad dreams has beauty, humour and passion threaded through it. Alis Wyn Davies is Brutus, the main focus of the show, and she navigates the peaks and troughs of the character’s tentative beginnings, idealistic drives, and eventual hubristic downfall well – I just personally prefer my tragic heroes and heroines to really go for it when they realise all is lost and it’s all their fault – there’s a magical moment where she roars in pain like a wounded animal once she sees the turn of the battle against her, I just wanted more of that sharpness and rawness to be threaded into her text and spoken moments particular with Cassius. Matthew Rowan particularly shines in the production, bringing comedy and clarity to his role as Casca, one of the co-conspirators. Rowan has a real gift with the Shakespearean text, he humanises it and brings it alive, I hope to see future OVO shows where he can fully realise his potential as this was clearly a talented emerging performer working what he was given to the fullest capacity. Tom Milligan gives a turn as Antony, and he brings a youthful, eager and almost puppy-like vibe to the role – it’s a really difficult role as Antony comes in late to proceedings and has possibly the most famous speech in the whole thing, but Milligan doesn’t let this faze him, and leaps into the piece with both feet, winning us over by the end.
Stephanie Allison and Amy Connery handle movement and intimacy direction, and whilst there is less for them to do than in their previous work with OVO in Mosquitoes over the summer, the pair handle the ensemble action and coupled sensual moments well, giving a believability to the action and a much needed oomph to a text-heavy scene when required. I would have liked the director to incorporate the intimacy and movement more into the text however – there were a few moments where you could hear the Shakespearean part of the scene had clearly ended (I see you, cheeky rhyming couplet) and then there was a quite awkward intimacy scene tacked onto the end. Surely these things, if the director truly believes them necessary, are better worked into the text rather than serving as uncomfortable silent bookends, that only seem to shine a light on the strings and sellotape of the adaptation work. James Bailey handles the combat as the Fight Director, and the work he’s done on the show is lovely – smooth, slick and filled with appropriate groans, gasps and grunts, but again I missed the use of blood and gore. If you’re going to stab someone multiple times and leave his corpse face up in the middle of the stage then do reconsider whether stage blood might be necessary – particularly in a scene where all the murderers then go on and on about how bloody their hands are. Peter Harrison’s lighting is beautiful in its use of colour and shadow, he moves us through numerous exterior and interior locations, and his deft use of a simple rig helped clarify the scenes so we always knew where we were. It was also a pleasure to watch his slow descent into darkness and gloom as the play neared its tragic denouement. Rachael Light’s costumes are decadent and colourful, and hem-line trouser pinning aside, they all add to the show and give the characters a nice sense of individuality and style that presumably helped the actors incorporate stance and walk into their characterisation. Simon Nicholas continues his strong and delightful work with OVO, producing another captivating set – this time in traverse – some gorgeous projection lifted the show and helped conjure a sense of crowd and epic scale the diminished casting needed, and any show that has a running water fountain gets an instant ten points from me, bladder-seducing though it may be for some. I’ll even forgive him the use of black gaffer tape for making cracks in the floor and walls, having a working fridge during a previous show in the season has granted him some benefit of the doubt. Michael Bird makes some excellent choices as Sound Designer, filing the show with topical music selections, an insistent low drone that ratchets through the action leading to Caesar’s murder, and some jump-scare style gun shots where needed – but one does perhaps need to look at the placing of these, as there was far more musical support in the second half than the first, which left the intimacy moments a little untethered and hollow, and the show as a whole slightly unbalanced. Perhaps there were sound issues the night I saw, as it does seem an odd choice to have so much in the second half and hardly any in the first.
This may seem like a difficult review, but in truth there is a lot to recommend the show – its commitment to trying something new with an old text, and its bold ambition with the staging and characterisations. The performances are strong and you can clearly tell the actors care about pushing the show as far as they can – at least I presume they do as there are many moments where they drip hot wax on their own arms, and I can’t imagine they let the director persuade them to do that without caring about the piece first. Having seen four productions from this season, it is very clear that Artistic Director Adam Nichols and his OVO team are dedicated to producing modern and unabashedly powerful pieces of theatre for our world today, and they are a huge asset to the theatrical establishment in Hertfordshire, indeed St Albans should consider herself lucky to have them on her own doorstep – however when making these kind of decisions when adapting such a iconic and oft-performed classic, it may have been more important to focus a little longer in the planning phase, and make sure that every change, cut and re-invention was fully integrated into the text, so that every single alteration had purpose and clarity, and added something, rather than competed for attention. Ultimately, in Shakespeare, everything must serve the text, as the text is all we have, and in a moment where the language used in these pieces is becoming ever more indecipherable as time moves on into an age where comprehension and attention spans are ever dwindling – no matter how tidy the idea is, or how clever the parallels are – as another prince in another play once said: “the play’s the thing.”
PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS TO MAKE THEIR INDELIBLE MARK
AS A PREMIUM COMEDY FESTIVAL NOT TO BE MISSED,
TAKING PLACE MARCH 2-5 2023 AT THE O2
PROMISING TO BRING UNFORGETTABLE LAUGHS WITH THIS YEAR’S
LINEUP, MANY MORE NAMES WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN
THE COMING WEEKS.
TODAY, THE FESTIVAL REVEALS THE FIRST SLATE OF 2023 PROGRAMMING WITH APPEARANCES BY:
RYAN REYNOLDS “MAXIMUM EFFORT”
GRAHAM NORTON
KATHERINE RYAN AND FRIENDS – REGGIE WATTS – AISLING BEA AND FRIENDS – RICHARD CURTIS – ROB DELANEY – THE HORNE SECTION ADAM BUXTON BEST OF BUG – CRAIG ROBINSON AND THE NASTY DELICIOUS – THE RECEIPTS PODCAST LIVE – MAX AND IVAN’s THE WRESTLING – SPRINGLEAF: JAMES ACASTER AND NISH KUMAR
ELIS JAMES AND JOHN ROBINS LIVE – SHAPARAK KHORSANDI: IT WAS THE 90S! – ALL KILLA NO FILLA PODCAST – A GAY AND A NONGAY PODCAST – STAMPTOWN HOSTED BY ZACH ZUCKER – LUISA OMIELAN “TEN’ – RANDY FELTFACE – DARREN HARRIOTT – JESSICA FOSTEKEW “WENCH” – FOC IT UP COMEDY CLUB HOSTED BY
KEMAH BOB!
AND
A VERY SPECIAL SERIES OF SHOWS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
COMIC RELIEF
LONDON / LOS ANGELES / MONTRÉAL, November 21, 2022 – Global leader in comedy, Just For Laughs, in collaboration with leading live entertainment company, AEG Presents, and The O2, the world’s most popular music, leisure and entertainment venue, are thrilled to share details of the first slate of programming to be added to the first-ever edition of Just For Laughs LONDON, a four-day festival being held between March 2-5 2023 inclusive at The O2. Tickets go on sale on Thursday 24th November 2022 at 10.00am (GMT) and are available from www.jfllondon.com.
American Express® Cardmembers’ can get access to presale tickets for Ryan Reynolds “Maximum Effort” from Wednesday 23rd November at 10:00am GMT. O2 and Virgin Media customers can access presale tickets via the Priority app for events taking place in The O2 arena, indigo at The O2 and Superscreen, Cineworld at The O2 from Tuesday 22nd November at 10:00am GMT.
Taking place in various venues covering the full campus of The O2 – from club shows at indigo at The O2 to London’s largest cinema, Cineworld to the installation of Fortuna, an intimate wood and mirror Spiegeltent as an additional performance space as well as the world-famous arena – and featuring a mix of notable headliners, multi-comic shows, live podcast recordings, ‘In Conversations’, cast panels and more, Just for Laughs LONDON promises to deliver larger-than-life laughs as it unites today’s funniest UK and international comedy stars.
Just for Laughs LONDON is joining forces with the major charity Comic Relief, who have been changing lives across the world since 1985. Both our organisations believe in the power of laughter and people coming together to create positive change, so we are thrilled to be working together to program 2-3 shows at the first edition of Just For Laughs LONDON. The comedy festival will raise money to help Comic Relief support people through the toughest times of their lives in the UK and around the world.
Over the last 40 years, the unique and edgy style of British humour has become synonymous with what Just For Laughs is known for. They have introduced prime-time TV audiences to these rising British comedy stars on Channel 4, BBC, Channel 5 and to global audiences.
Bruce Hills, President of Just For Laughs: “Every year, without a doubt, the British contingent of comedians at JFL MONTRÉAL are one of the highlights of our event, which I credit to the comedians’ distinctiveness, originality and a point of view unlike any other. Now is the perfect time for us to bring our festival to shine the international spotlight on the incredible UK scene, while also bringing global comedy stars to join forces in producing one epic comedy celebration”.
Steve Homer, CEO of AEG Presents: “AEG Presents are hugely excited to be building what’s set to be London’s biggest ever comedy festival with the fantastic JFL and The O2 teams. We can’t wait to celebrate everything that’s so unique, quirky and world-renowned about British comedy along with some of the world’s biggest international stars – all gracing The O2’s hallowed stages together next March”.
Emma Bownes, VP of Venue Programming (Europe) at The O2: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with JFL and AEG Presents to bring the very first Just For Laughs LONDON to The O2 in March 2023. From Hollywood royalty with the legendary Ryan Reynolds, to the unstoppable Katherine Ryan, Just For Laughs LONDON will feature the best in stand-up, podcasts, and even wrestling across seven venues all within The O2’s campus. We look forward to hosting Just for Laughs LONDON for many years to come.”
Richard Curtis: “At Comic Relief, we believe in the power of comedy and entertainment to drive positive change across the world. That’s why I’m delighted to be hosting this special show at the very first Just For Laughs festival in the UK, with AEG and The 02. I am incredibly excited about sharing the stage with some of the superstars who’ve helped us raise more than £1.5billion in the last 35 years…and dropping some juicy morsels of backstage gossip into the open mouths – and/or ears – of our lovely audience of diehard comedy fans.”
Graham Norton: “I can’t wait to be a part of this amazing comedy event. I can guarantee people a night of big names and even bigger laughs. London in 2023 just got a whole lot funnier!!”
THE O2 ARENA
Ryan Reynolds “Maximum Effort” moderated by Rob Delaney I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I The O2 arena I 8:30 PM
Global super-star Ryan Reynolds will transport us into his creative multiverse as he talks about everything from his accomplished acting career to being a producer and screenwriter to a successful entrepreneur. This is sure to be a fun-packed conversation filled with laughter, anecdotes, and insight into the Hollywood superstar. Reynolds’ acting career includes nominations for a Golden Globe and Grammy Awards for his work on the billion-dollar franchise Deadpool. He is the only actor with 3 films on Netflix’s all-time top 10 list (Red Notice, The Adam Project, Six Underground). After beginning his acting career in 1991, Ryan rose to prominence in the comedy series Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place and dozens of films. But there’s more as Reynolds is also an award-winning marketer, creating breakthrough campaigns for Deadpool as well as Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile and the Match Group. And if you think he’s not busy enough, he is also an owner of Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, Wrexham Football Club, Chief Creative Officer of MNTN and a co-founder of Maximum Effort Productions. It’s no wonder that he’s been recognized as one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company, Wall Street Journal and AdWeek among others. Don’t miss this exciting, funny and insightful conversation with Ryan Reynolds as he talks about his passions, future projects, his road to and secrets of his success.
Moderating the conversation will be Ryan’s Deadpool 2 co-star, Rob Delaney. Rob is the Emmy nominated co-creator and co-star of the critically acclaimed Channel 4 and Amazon Prime comedy Catastrophe and is currently filming Showtime’s drama series The Man Who Fell To Earth. He recently wrapped Judd Apatow’s upcoming comedy The Bubble opposite Karen Gillan, and his stand-up special Rob Delaney: Live at the Bowery Ballroom, is available on Netflix.
Variety Gala hosted by Graham Norton at The O2 arena
*show date and time to be announced shortly
Just For Laughs LONDON is thrilled to announce that for the first time in many years, Graham Norton will be taking the stage to host a special curated variety gala. Full details including line-up and ticket details to be announced in the upcoming weeks.
INDIGO AT THE O2
Katherine Ryan and Friends I Thursday, March 2, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 9:30 PM
Join the Creator, Writer, Star and EP of Netflix Original hit series, The Duchess (along with two global Netflix comedy specials: In Trouble and Glitter Room) comedian Katherine Ryan as she hosts a very special line-up of brilliant comedians. As seen on Live At The Apollo, Would I lie To You (BBC), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4), and hosting Backstage with Katherine Ryan (Amazon Prime).
Joining Katherine will be the Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and star of Mock The Week and Live At The Apollo (both BBC). Darren Harriott, and more brilliant comedians to be announced soon!
Reggie Watts I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 11:00 PM
Reggie Watts, internationally renowned vocalist, beatboxer, musician, comedian and improvisor amazes audiences with his unpredictable performances, which are created on-the-spot using only his formidable voice and loop pedals.
Blending and blurring the lines between comedy and music with his unique lyrical style, LA Weekly calls Reggie “the most wildly inventive new talent of the past five years.”
Reggie’s Netflix comedy special, Spatial, released in 2016 is available worldwide. He also has appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Conan, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live, John Oliver’s Stand-Up New York, HBO’s The Yes Men Save The World, IFC, Comedy Central’s Michael and Michael Have Issues, UK’s Funny Or Die, and PBS’ Electric Company.
Comic Relief – The Truth & Everything Except the Truth, Hosted by Richard Curtis, Sunday, March 5 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 4:00pm
Richard Curtis, co-founder of Red Nose Day, is joined by Comic Relief stars as they reveal “Comic Relief – the Truth & Everything Except the Truth” – an afternoon of comedy, memories and mishaps.
Aisling Bea and Friends I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 8:00 PM
Join the Bafta award winning creator and star of Channel 4’s This Way Up, comedian Aisling Bea, as she hosts a starry line-up of fantastic comedians. As seen regularly on QI (BBC), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4), and featured on Netflix’s Comedy Line-up. Aisling also can be seen playing one of the leads in the Netflix series, Living With Yourself, starring opposite Paul Rudd.
Joining Aisling will be two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee and Host of The Mash Report (BBC) Nish Kumar, plus more to be announced.
The Horne Section I Friday, March 3, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 7:30 PM
Following The Horne Section TV Show on Channel 4, their hit BBC Radio 4 series, their own TV Special at the London Palladium, appearances as house band on Save Our Summer Crouchy’s Year Late Euros and The Last Leg, an iTunes chart-topping podcast and many years of sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and London’s West End, don’t miss everyone’s favourite Dictionary Corner regulars on 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and the first band to ever host Never Mind The Buzzcocks at Just for Laughs London this March.
Five outstanding musicians, one non-musical stand up, there’ll be comedy, songs, enthusiastic dancing and a lot of mucking about. A unique show from the hugely talented band and Alex Horne, the creator and co-host of The Bafta and Emmy nominated Taskmaster, which won Best Entertainment Show at last year’s Broadcast Awards.
Adam Buxton Best of Bug I Thursday, March 2, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 7:00 PM British writer, comedian and podcast host Adam Buxton brings BUG, the long running, sell out BFI music video show to the Indigo stage. Expect a selection of outstanding videos from the last few years, variously unhinged comments from the online community and other nonsense from Adam’s laptop.
Craig Robinson and The Nasty Delicious I Friday, March 3, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 11:00 PM
Funnyman actor/comedian Craig Robinson (NBC’s The Office/NBC’s Brooklyn 99) introduced his band, The Nasty Delicious, in 2007. The nine-piece crew have been electrifying audiences around the globe with their powerful fusion of Chicago-House, funk, hip hop and R&B, all topped off with Craig’s soulful voice, edgy humour, and improved crowd participation. All the members of the band have their own creative projects, and have also toured and recorded with countless legendary artists across the genres, including Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Chaka Khan, Beyonce, Maroon 5, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, and many more. They have also been featured on Seth Rogen’s Hilarity For Charity on Netflix, NBC’s The Office & Last Comic Standing, just to name a few.
The Receipts Podcast – Live I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 5:00 PM
The Receipts Podcast are thrilled to be part of the Just For Laughs comedy festival 2023. From relationships to situationships and everything in between you can expect unadulterated girl talk with no filter. The girls guarantee you a night of laughter, joy and even some confessions from the dedicated listeners. Hosted by Tolani Shoneye, Milena Sanchez & Audrey Indome, you’ll see the ladies do what they do best in real time including a live performance and other surprises in store, it’s sure to be a fun night!
Max and Ivan’s ‘The Wrestling’ I Sunday, March 5, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 8:00 PM
The Wrestling is a death-defying, Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning, sell-out mega-show – the grandest, most outrageous spectacle in the comedy universe. Stemming from Max’s misspent youth as the UK’s youngest professional wrestler (Max Voltage, the Human Dynamo), it’s a world of spectacular high-flying action featuring your favourite comedians as you’ve never seen them before. Since The Wrestling began, Aisling Bea has been hurled over the top rope, Sara Pascoe has been carried in on the back of an entire semi-nude team of acrobats, and Max &
Ivan has done battle atop a ladder – all in front of a feral live crowd. Good versus evil. Clotheslines versus punchlines.
Springleaf: James Acaster and Nish Kumar I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2 I 6:00 PM
James Acaster is the covert stand-up comedian persona of undercover cop Pat Springleaf. Everyone knows that. And as it’s obligatory for all comedians to have a podcast these days, Pat wants in. When Pat was undercover, he wore his wire 24-7-365. Or 366 if it was a leap year. In this one-off event for Just For Laughs LONDON, Pat talks to Nish Kumar about the true-crime podcast he’s been working on, in which he uses the wire recordings he’s amassed over years of infiltrating criminal gangs to blow wide open the biggest case he ever worked on. A case, it transpires, in which Nish played an unwitting part…
Elis James and John Robins Live I Sunday, March 5, 2023 I Superscreen, Cineworld at The O2 I 7:00 PM
Join Elis James (Fantasy Football League) and John Robins (Live at the Apollo, Edinburgh Comedy Award winner) for an hour of classic Elis and John. PCDs, Retro Oners and Live Vibe Tasters assemble! Elis and John can be heard weekly on their BBC Radio 5Live show, and their award-winning BBC Podcast How Do You Cope?”
Shappi Khorsandi
London April 2021
Shaparak Khorsandi presents “It Was The 90’s!” I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I O2 Blueroom I 4:00 PM
Ah, the 90s! The decade that Shaparak was in her twenties and ‘ladette’ culture ruled the school. The decade when there was nothing to be done but party, and Shaparak found herself flying about London with hope in her heart, a tenner in her pocket and spare knickers in her handbag. She matched the boys pint-for-pint and frequently woke up in parts of London she’d never heard of. With hindsight though, the way people behaved back then looks like the ultimate in self harm. In those days, ‘mindfulness’ was making sure you had enough money for the night bus and ‘self-care’ was putting your flat shoes in a handbag. This is a show about how we 90s kids are looking to young people to learn how to take care of ourselves.
All Killa No Filla Podcast I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I Superscreen, Cineworld at The O2 I 7:00 PM
Rachel Fairburn and Kiri Pritchard-McLean are co-presenters of the hit true crime podcast All Killa no Filla. With millions of downloads, sold out tours of the UK and an American tour behind them the pair thought it was about time they brought their unique blend of murder facts and humour to Canada but couldn’t get visas so are delighted to be taking part in the Just for Laughs Festival LONDON festival.
A Gay and A NonGay Podcast I Sunday, March 5, 2023 I Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2 I 4:00 PM
In a time when we’re all threatened by a rhetoric of hate from the people in power, A Gay and A NonGay challenges our differences head on and proves that no matter who you are, or what you’re into, love is love and Gays and NonGays can be Friends. A new episode is released every Wednesday, where James and Dan dive into conversations around day-to-day life, differences in perceptions, homophobia, coming out, mental health and lighter topics like dating and Dan learning all about douching. It’s always been their mission to talk openly, promote equality, freedom and friendship whilst making our listeners laugh. Hosted by comedians James Barr and Dan Hudson (James is Gay, Dan is NonGay), the A Gay and A NonGay is the UK’s #1 award winning LGBTQ+ podcast.
Stamptown hosted by Zach Zucker I Friday, March 3, 2023 I Fortuna Spiegeltent I9:00 PM
Zach Zucker is an award-winning, performer/producer based in London and LA. He is the creator of the Stamptown and one half of Norwegian-American comedy duo, Zach & Viggo. Zach also runs the late-night, variety show Stamptown Comedy Night and hopes to fulfil his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA.
Luisa Omielan presents “Ten” I Thursday, March 2, 2023 I Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2 I 8:30 PM
Luisa Omielan creates iconic one woman shows. She was the first comedian to receive a Bafta Breakthrough for stand up. Not the first female comedian, the first ever. Now, 10 years after What Would Beyonce Do?! propelled her into the spotlight. Featuring jokes from Am I right Ladies, Politics for Bitches and God is a Woman. Expect cow impressions, thigh gaps, Mary Magdalene and relationship boat analogies. Authentic, raw, honest and timeless, it’s the only show that can make you laugh your head off and cry your eyes out simultaneously.
Craig Robinson In Conversation I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2 4:00 PM
Notable actor, writer, performer, Craig Robinson is best known for his role in the U.S. version of NBC’s The Office, as well as his roles in such blockbuster movies as Knocked Up, This is the End, Hot Tub Time Machine, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, just to name a few! In addition to his acting career, he travels the world performing with his band “The Nasty Delicious.”
Come hear directly from Craig as he shares hilarious career stories, discussing his journey to comedy stardom with hit global TV and film roles which have been ranked some of the most binged- watched comedy series and films in history.
Randy Feltface I Friday, March 3, 2023 I Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2 I 6:00 PM
Randy Feltface has spent over fifteen years carving out a unique niche on the international comedy circuit. He was nominated for best comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, sold out in London and New York, and featured several times at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival. He has released five comedy specials and made his US television debut as a crowd favourite on NBC’s Bring The Funny. His live show is a high energy existential crisis full of the kind of amusing anecdotes and biting observations that have earned him the title of World’s Most Entertaining Non-Human Comedian.
Jessica Fostekew presents “Wench” I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I All Bar One at The O2 I 6:00 PM
A show about sexy things (awkward), private things (oh no) and a woman trying to sit on the face of time to keep it still (hot, right?). You’ve seen Jess on Live at the Apollo, QI and on Harry Hill’s Clubnite amongst other TV shows. She’s a regular co-host of The Guilty Feminist Podcast, the host and creator of The Hoovering Podcast and you hear her regularly on BBC R4’s News Quiz and Now Show. Jess was nominated for the Dave Edinburgh Comedy Award – Best Show 2019 with her last show Hench, and she won Best Breakthrough Act in the Chortle Awards 2020.
FOC It Up! Comedy Club I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I O2 Blueroom, 2:00 PM
The FOC IT UP! Comedy Club, founded by American comic Kemah Bob, unapologetically celebrates and centres the perspectives of comedians of colour that are not cis-men! Join Kemah and her incredibly hilarious comrades in comedy for a night the Evening Standard calls “a riot of positivity and inclusivity”. Since 2018 FOC IT UP! has brought its revolutionary energy to sold out shows in London, the Edinburgh Fringe, Latitude and Southbank Festival. Hot off recording the first season of the FOC IT UP! Podcast, featuring stand-up from over 50 comedians, the Femmes of Colour Comedy club is excited to be a part of Just For Laughs London. “The Femmes of Color Comedy Club is the freshest & most important new outfit in the British comedy landscape” – Deborah Frances-White of The Guilty Feminist. White audience members are encouraged to check their privilege at the door! Kemah (she/they) is a comedian, presenter, writer, actor, drag artist and producer. In addition to being featured on Dave, iTV, Channel 4, Comedy Central and the BBC, she has supported Hannah Gadsby, Nish Kumar, Desiree Burch and The Guilty Feminist on tour.
DAY
DATE
ARTIST
VENUE
SHOWTIME
Thursday
March 2
Adam Buxton “Best of Bug”
indigo at The O2
7:00PM
Thursday
March 2
Luisa Omielan “Ten”
Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2
8:30PM
Thursday
March 2
Katherine Ryan and Friends
indigo at The O2
9:30PM
Friday
March 3
Randy Feltface
Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2
6:00PM
Friday
March 3
Stamptown hosted by Zach Zucker
Fortuna Spiegeltent
9:00PM
Friday
March 3
Craig Robinson and The Nasty Delicious
indigo at The O2
11:00PM
Friday
March 3
The Horne Section
indigo at The O2
7:30PM
Saturday
March 4
Shaparak Khorsandi: “It Was The 90s!”
O2 Blueroom
4:00PM
Saturday
March 4
FOC It Up! Comedy Club
O2 Blueroom
2:00 PM
Saturday
March 4
Craig Robinson In Conversation
Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2
4:00PM
Saturday
March 4
The Receipts Podcast – Live
indigo at The O2
5:00PM
Saturday
March 4
Springleaf: James Acaster & Nish Kumar
Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2
6:00PM
Saturday
March 4
Jessica Fostekew “Wench”
All Bar One at The O2
6:00PM
Saturday
March 4
All Killa No Filla Podcast
Superscreen, Cineworld at The O2
7:00PM
Saturday
March 4
Aisling Bea and Friends
indigo at The O2
8:00PM
Saturday
March 4
Ryan Reynolds “Maximum Effort” moderated by Rob Delaney
The O2 arena
8:30PM
Saturday
March 4
Reggie Watts
indigo at The O2
11:00PM
Sunday
March 5
A Gay and A NonGay Podcast
Screen 16, Cineworld at The O2
4:00 PM
Sunday
March 5
Comic Relief – The Truth & Everything Except the Truth, Hosted by Richard Curtis
indigo at The O2
4:00 PM
Sunday
March 5
Elis James and John Robins Live
Superscreen, Cineworld at The O2
7:00PM
Sunday
March 5
Max and Ivan “The Wrestling”
indigo at The O2
8:00PM
FESTIVAL VENUES INCLUDE:
THE O2 ARENA
Located at the heart of the world’s most popular music, comedy, entertainment and leisure venue.
INDIGO AT THE O2
Sitting under the roof of an iconic London landmark, indigo at The O2 is a 1800 – 2800 capacity entertainment venue located at the front of The O2’s Entertainment District.
CINEWORLD AT THE O2
London’s biggest cinema.
O2 BLUEROOM
O2’s exclusive lounge for good vibes pre and post show.
FORTUNA SPIEGELTENT
Tented area located in The Quadrant just outside the main entrance of The O2. A stylish space for drinks and small plates.
FESTIVAL TICKET DETAILS:
Tickets go on sale this Thursday, November 24 at 10:00 AM GMT
All tickets and passes for JFL LONDON can be purchased at www.jfllondon.com
Based on the well-loved Raymond Briggs classic ‘The Snowman’ the stage show can only be described as magical.
Having grown up watching the TV adaptation, The Snowman has always been an integral part of the Christmas countdown in our family, we’ve got the books and each year eagerly await it being aired on TV.
From the moment we set foot in the theatre, the experience hit us full force, there was a Snowman greeting theatre goers at the door. The stage was set to look like a giant snow globe as we took our seats waiting for the show to begin.
The production remains fairly faithful to the book, on our night Stanley Williams played the boy, and he was magnificent as the little boy who builds the Snowman, my girls aged 3 and 5 immediately knew he was playing in the snow.
Once the snowman comes to life the fun truly begins, the dance with the toys left my three-year-old wide eyed and slack jawed (she now wants a magical ballerina on top of a music box). There is much hilarity for grownups as the Snowman and little boy explore the house in the night, whilst the children in the audience remain transfixed watching the magic unfolding before them.
The first half of the show consists of the boy and Snowman playing in the house and exploring outside, the intermission curtain goes down just as the Snowman and little boy look up at the night sky!
The iconic tune and the flight in the nighttime starts immediately as the curtain goes up after the intermission, a warning not to be away from your seat too long or you will miss the start of the signature ‘Walking in the air’ tune we all associate with the Snowman.
The production was great fun: there were ballet dancers, to my five year old ballet crazy daughters delight; Father Christmas made an appearance, much to every single child in the audiences delight; and Jack Frost also put in an appearance (unlike in the book which my very fastidious five year old pointed out).
The production was very well put together, the children were mesmerized and rooted to their seats. Samantha Rodulfo’s Ice Princess/Music Box Ballerina enchanted my littlies, and we had a few twirling ballerinas as we left the theatre.
The show marks the change in the season and everyone walking out of that theatre walked out in a festive mood. If you can go see it do so, walking out on to the Christmas light festooned streets after watching this Christmas classic come to life, really feels festive. My five-year-old hummed the ‘Walking on the Air’ tune on the way home. I think she put it best as she sighed, I think this was the best day ever! It certainly felt amazing!
Nancy Brabin-Platt’s fun high-energy play about a queer teenager finding her voice is loud, proud and full of heart.
Maxine’s disapproving mum says she’s going through a phase, infatuated with an older woman but that will pass. Max isn’t sure of a lot, but her queerness is a certainty. Her girlfriend Beth is outspoken and fearless, but Max needs to let the Drag Diva out, her alter ego, to deal with all that life throws at her.
The prejudice and scorn from both straight and queer against women in drag highlighted, and Brabin- Platt has written a blistering speech for Max when she is pushed to the limit, about the misogyny of such attitudes and what drag actually is. While Beth receives death threats from terfs after giving a trans woman a platform, it is blatant homophobia that results in near tragedy.
This may sound a bit heavy and bleak, but the serious issues are related by a teenager, with naive and sweet attempts to understand what is happening interspersed with fury. When things get too much, Drag Diva takes over, and Brabin-Platt lip syncs some fantastic songs, as Drag Diva accompanies her on multiple screens around the set. Amongst all the drama and loud music, director Lois Brabin-Platt ensures there are some lovely quieter moments as Max considers her relationships with her mum and Beth. Brabin-Platt has a warm and endearing stage presence and you can’t help but feel the joy and release in her drag performance
Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York – until 26th November 2022
Reviewed by Ellie Watson
3***
“Oliver! Oliver!”, well what can I say. This was a good show that was fun to watch. Oliver is Lionel Bart’s adaptation of the classic novel by Charles Dickens. This follows an orphan born, called Oliver, and his journey from living in a London workhouse, to getting kicked out because he asked for more food leading him to living amongst a gang of pickpockets on the streets of London. Despite Oliver trying to fit in, he was caught trying to pickpocket and this eventually reunites him unexpectedly with his long-lost rich family who can provide him with a new start to life.
When the show began the first thing that happens is lots of children arriving on stage from all around the theatre to begin the song ‘Food Glorious Food’. The stage was overcome with many children, more than I’ve even seen on this stage before. However, where did most of these children go as many weren’t seen again? Let’s move on though.
The role of Oliver Twist was played by Zachary Pickersgill (alternating with Fin Walker throughout the run). Zachary had a sweet version of Oliver which was heart-warming to see, especially when he sang ‘Where is Love’.
A standout performance to me was from the director, producer and chairman of NE Musicals, Steve Tearle who played Fagin. You could clearly see his experience in this character, and he worked with the children in Fagin’s gang well and made his scenes with the kids really stand out.
The start of Act 2 was good with the performance of ‘Oom-Pah-Pah’. This was so full of energy and the stage burst into life which really showed the vocals of Nancy (Maia Beatrice, alternating with Perri Anne Barley). However, sometimes it was quite hard to hear Maia due to ensemble’s loud vocals and the band overpowering her vocals at times.
However, the part of the musical that stood out to me was Maia’s rendition of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ which was very emotional and sang well with good vocal technique. However, the band did overpower Maia in the reprise of this song on the last final belt note which was upsetting to see as it’s her big moment to shine.
The end of the show is very powerful when Nancy is killed which stuns the audience into silence. This leaves the audience in a sombre mood though when the production ends, despite the bows trying to be a bit jollier. However, this is no fault of the production team but the musical’s story itself.
Overall, the production was good for an amateur production but there are things that could be changed to make this better, and don’t want to name any names but some of the cast really need to act like they are enjoying performing in the show, especially in upbeat songs like ‘Consider Yourself’.
Everyone loves the production Oliver though and you can sing along to the songs and it’s a good night out at the theatre.
SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT RECEIVES GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM
British hit musical SIX, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, has received another global award nomination, for the 2023 GRAMMY Awards for Best Musical Theatre Album.
SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT was recorded live from the smash-hit productions’ Broadway home, the Lena Horne Theatre (formerly Brooks Atkinson), on its opening night, capturing the energy and enthusiasm audiences across the world have been losing their heads over, bringing new life to the hit songs that have been streamed, shared and celebrated across social media and beyond.
Since the album’s release on 6 May 2022, songs from the show have been streamed over 23 million times worldwide, making it one of the most successful recordings in musical theatre history to date. Meanwhile, the original UK Studio Cast Recording achieved gold status in 2021.
Having recently celebrated its first year on Broadway, the New York production received 4 Drama Desk Awards, 3 Outer Critics Circle Awards and 2 coveted Tony Awards, for Best Score (Marlow & Moss) and Best Costume Design of a Musical (Gabriella Slade).
SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT is produced by Paul Gatehouse, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Sam Featherstone and Tom Curran.
The musical is produced on Broadway by Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, George Stiles and Kevin McCollum.
The album features original Broadway cast members Adrianna Hicks (Aragon), Andrea Macasaet (Boleyn), Abbie Mueller (Heart of Stone), Brittney Mack (Cleves), Samantha Pauly (Howard), Anna Uzele (Parr) and the incredible alternate cast members performing ‘Heart of Stone’ (Courtney Mack, Mallory Maedke, Keirsten Nicole Hodgens and Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert).
SIX is currently live on stage at London’s Vaudeville Theatre, the Lena Horne Theatre in New York, across the UK on its current sell-out tour, on two concurrent North American tours, resumes performances in Australia, opening in Perth next week, with a further production opening in Amsterdam in September 2023.
The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony take place on 5 February 2023.
Leicester Square Speigeltent – until 7 January 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Christmas is coming, so the Speigeltent is back in Leicester Square and La Clique returns with another stellar line-up of burlesque, chaotic comedy and jaw dropping circus skills.
Glamour is provided by burlesque superstar Miss Jolie Papillon, and belting vocals from Ashley Stroud raising the roof. Katherine Arnold’s spaced out plastic surgery patient soon morphs into a beautifully haunting arial routine to Creep and returns to end the show in a stunning soft rock arial duet with Hugo Desmarais to Living on a Prayer. Desmarais delights/terrorises the audience as Gay Jesus, handing out blessings and insults before a glorious routine on a cross.
Mikael Bres displays breath-taking artistry on the Chinese pole, drawing gasps from the audience, and his gentle comedy schtick opening the second act makes you realise what the show is missing – a host to tie everything together and engage the crowd while the crew remove apparatus or clean the stage (some of these acts are really messy!). Tara Boom causes chaos as she butters and salts herself while waiting for the popcorn in her hat to cook – while keeping hula hoops twirling and hurling them into the audience. (There is a definite splash zone in the front seats where water or food will land on you!) Boom’s second act is a huge contrast where she balances umbrellas with her feet with style and great skill. Sam Goodburn is a hoot on his unicycle. He seems to have a serious biscuit fetish and can tempt audience members into joining his tomfoolery and even helping him dress by offering them a biscuit. Goodburn is appearing until 27 November, when David Pereira will join the cast.
This is the perfect show to see with friends – the bar stays open throughout, but you really won’t want to miss any of these performances. Brilliant Christmas entertainment – thrills, spills and laughs galore in this stylish spectacular.
